- The largest Los Angeles fire spread to new neighbourhoods, prompting evacuations and raising concerns about control.
- At least 11 people have died, with thousands of homes destroyed, likened by Joe Biden to a ‘war scene’.
- Governor Gavin Newsom ordered an independent review, citing issues such as water supply shortages during the fires.
The largest of the Los Angeles fires spread towards previously untouched neighbourhoods, forcing new evacuations, and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control.
Across the city, at least 11 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since mid-week, razing thousands of homes in destruction that United States President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene”.
Despite huge firefighting efforts, the Palisades fire’s expansion prompted evacuation orders in ritzy neighbourhoods along its eastern flank, home to the famous Getty Centre art museum.
Winds were forecast to pick up again today after a brief lull, posing the risk of new fires as embers are blown into dry brush.
Los Angeles residents have increasingly demanded to know who is at fault for the disaster as they grapple with the ruin and local anger rises over officials' preparedness and response.
Nicole Perri, whose home in the upmarket Pacific Palisades burned down, told AFP that officials “completely let us down”.
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“I don’t think the officials were prepared at all,” said James Brown, a 65-year-old retired lawyer across the city in Altadena.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered a “full independent review”, describing the lack of water supplies during the initial fires as “deeply troubling”.
“We need answers to how that happened,” he wrote in an open letter.
As reports of looting grew, a sunset-to-sunrise curfew was imposed in evacuated areas.
About two dozen arrests have already been made across Los Angeles, where some residents have organised street patrols and kept armed watch over their own houses.
The National Guard has been deployed to bolster law enforcement.
Five separate fires have so far burned more than 15,000ha, destroying around 12,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed an additional fatality, bringing the overall death toll so far to 11, although the figure is expected to rise.
“It reminded me of more of a war scene, where you had certain targets that were bombarded,” said Biden, as he received a briefing at the White House.
Winds had calmed yesterday, providing a fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling blazes around the clock for a fourth consecutive day.
Braveheart actor Mel Gibson was the latest celebrity to reveal his Malibu home had burned down, telling NewsNation the loss was “devastating”.
Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, and Billy Crystal were among a long list of celebrities who lost houses, while Prince Harry and his wife Meghan – who quit royal life in 2020 and moved to California – were seen comforting survivors.
The Palisades fire was only 8% contained and spreading east after burning 8740ha.
Emergency chiefs warned the situation was still extremely dangerous.
The winds “are going to increase again in the coming days”, said Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).
Authorities have said it was too early to know the cause of the blazes.
Biden took a veiled swipe at President-elect Donald Trump, who has spread misinformation over the fires that has then been amplified on social media.
“You’re going to have a lot of demagogues out there trying to take advantage,” the President said.
Newsom, who has been blamed for the disaster by the President-elect, invited Trump to visit Los Angeles and survey the devastation with him.
“We must not politicise human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” said Newsom.
Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley pointed to recent funding cuts of the service, saying her department was chronically under-resourced and short of staff.
Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather and changing the dynamics of the blazes.
Emergency managers apologised after false evacuation alerts were erroneously sent to millions of mobile phones, sparking panic.
– Agence France-Presse
